Team GB’s young athletes will be hoping for their own version of ‘Super Saturday’ at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) as they compete in ten out of the eleven sports in which Great Britain is represented on the penultimate day of the AYOF in Sydney.
After soaring temperatures in Sydney’s Darling Harbour prevented play on Friday the basketball competition continues on day four with Team GB’s men looking to build upon their one hundred percent record of three victories from three matches and their female counterparts aiming to record their first victory of the competition after three defeats. Both teams have four remaining round robin matches to complete before the classification and medal matches take place in the afternoon.
Following a day’s rest the Team GB badminton players are itching to get back on the courts. Day four of the AYOF sees all of the GB players in action. Lynnlette Aung, Chloe Birch, Aaron Cheng and Alex Lane will all be competing in the singles competition whilst Birch and Holly Smith alongside Cheng and Tom Wolfenden team up in the doubles competitions. In the mixed doubles Aung and Lane make up one pair with Smith and Wolfenden teaming up as second pair.
Alex Lane said: “I have a chance to bounce back with a medal in the individual and that is the aim now. I think I have played well in the team event so I can take confidence from that and it just depends on the luck of the draw now.
Hoping to add to the bronze medal she won in the 10m platform event, Georgia Ward competes tomorrow in the 3m synchronised event with partner Francesca Del Celo. De Celo is also competing in the 3m springboard individual event alongside Georgia Davenport.
At the 2007 AYOF London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley won silver and that is certainly something Sam Thornton and Ross Haslam would love to replicate when they compete in the platform event.
Round two of the golf competition was also halted early when temperatures rose to a record high on the Twin Creeks course on Friday. With temperatures cooling overnight the ten GB golfers are looking forward to a cooler day on the course and aiming to retain their lead in all three events.
With the two other gymnastic disciplines competitions already underway day four is the start of the trampolining competition. “The Australian Youth Olympic Festival will be my biggest competition and I can’t wait to get going now,” said Harry Newbold-Cozens.
Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams face the USA in their third matches of the AYOF competition. GB’s women will be looking to secure their first victory of the tournament whilst the men’s side are aiming for a win to earn themselves a likely showdown against Australia in the men’s gold medal match on Sunday.
Also launching the start of their campaign in the 2013 AYOF are the GB rowers. The first medals up for grabs on day one of the rowing regatta are the men’s and women’s sculls, pairs and lightweight pairs. The heats of the men’s and women’s lightweight four and four are also being contested.
Tim Grant, who is competing in the men’s four, said: “2012 was a successful year for GB rowing. I got to go and see some of the racing and our success in London definitely inspired me to put that extra work in and push on and it will be a big job for me to get to Rio. Other people who went to the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival appeared in London, the likes of Kat Copeland and George Nash, so hopefully I can do the same.”
Team GB boats for the first day of the rowing regatta are as follows:
Women’s single scull : Emily Ford, Jess Leyden.
Men’s single scull : Jack Beaumont, Luke Moon.
Women’s Pair- : Beth Bryan, Lucy Burgess, Nicole Lamb, Anastasia Merlott Chitty.
Men’s Pair- : Tim Grand, Ed Grisedale, Joe Guppy, Joel Cassells
Women’s Lightweight Double Scull : Lucy Cruxton, Maxie Scheske.
Men’s Lightweight Double Scull: Ben Board, Jamie Copus.
Women’s Lightweight Quadruple Scull : Lucy Cruxton, Emily Ford, Jess Leyden, Maxie Scheske.
Men’s Lightweight Quadruple Scull: Jack Beaumont, Ben Board, Jamie Copus, Luke Moon.
Women’s Four- : Beth Bryan, Lucy Burgess, Nicole Lamb, Anastasia Merlott Chitty.
Men’s Four- : Tim Grant, Ed Grisedale, Joe Guppy, Joel Cassells
The squad had a good ten days of preparation at the Nepean Rowing Club, training on the Nepean River, before they moved to the 2000 Olympic Regatta Course at Penrith where they are competing on Saturday.
The GB shooters continued to show their dominance on day two of the shooting competition and they are hoping they can follow up with more medals on the third and final day of competition. AYOF 25m rapid fire gold medallist Kristian Callaghan is hoping to achieve a second medal when he competes in the 50m pistol. Whilst Michael Bamsey hopes that day three of the competition will reward him with his third medal when he competes alongside fellow Brit Ross Shears in the 50m rifle prone. Dan Tarrrant is also back out on the range in the 75m trap competition.
Donald McIntosh, Shooting Team Leader said: "Dan Tarrant is in prime place going into the second day of the men's trap, having shot very steadily on day one for a single point lead after 75 targets. Dan will shoot two more rounds of 25 tomorrow morning, and the top six after that will then shoot a final of another 25 targets in order to determine the medallists.
“On the 50m range, Mike Bamsey and Ross Shears will take part in the men's prone rifle, an event that has traditionally been strong amongst many of the competing countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada as well as the UK. Mike had the highest score in the Prone section of the men's three position Rifle on Thursday, and will take great confidence from a solid performance on what can be a tricky range.
“Finally, Kristian Callaghan will take part in the Men's 50m Pistol event. Kristian only added this event to his portfolio recently, and will be hoping to qualify for the eight man final."
After a fantastic two bronze medals in the individual competition the GB triathletes now focus their attention to the team relay challenge taking place on the same course at the Sydney International Regatta Centre on Saturday.
AYOF bronze medallist Marc Austin said: “I am feeling really confident about the team event tomorrow, we are really good all around athletes so I am feeling pretty confident about our chances.”
Team GB in Action Day Four
Badminton - Sports Hall - West, Sydney Olympic Park
09:00 - 15:00 Round 1, 2 and Quarter Finals
Men's & Women's Singles
Men's & Women's Doubles
Mixed Doubles
18:30 - 21:30 Semi Finals
Men's & Women's Singles
Men's & Women's Doubles
Mixed Doubles
Basketball 3x3 - Darling Harbour
11:00 - 13:20 10 Games
13:30 - 14:30 Shootout Competition
14:40 - 16:00 4 Games
Diving - Aquatic Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
11:00 - 14:35 Finals
Girl's 3 Metre Springboard
Boy's Platform 10m
Girl's 3 Metre Synchronised
Golf- Twin Creeks Golf Club, Ludenham
07:30 - 13:30 3rd Round
Gymnastics – Trampoline - Sports Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
13:00 - 14:30 Trampoline - Women
15:30 - 17:00 Trampoline - Men
18:00 - 19:30 Trampoline - AA Synchro
Hockey - Hockey Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
09:00 - 10:30 USA v GBR - Women
11:00 - 12:30 USA v GBR - Men
11:00 - 12:30 AUS v CHN – Women
Rowing - Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith
08:00 - 10:00 Heats
W1x, M1x, W2-, M2-, WL2x, ML2x
12:00 - 13:50 Reserve Heats & Finals
W1x Reserve Heat, M1x Reserve Heat, W1x, M1x, W2-, M2-, WL2x, ML2x
15:30 - 16:30 Heats
W4x, M4x, W4-, M4-
Shooting - Sydney International Shooting Centre, Cecil park
09:00 - 16:00 Heats and Finals
50m Prone Men
50m Pistol Men
Men's Trap 75
Triathlon - Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith
10:00 - 11:30
Teams Relay Challenge Women & Men